My last post here was over 2 months ago - wow! Life happens…seems like the story of my life. I’m trying to ease back into the writing thing.Our middle son has some special needs and juggling his therapies, plus homeschooling all the kids has been difficult this year, trying to juggle every child’s needs and schedules. I am actively planning “quiet time” into my schedule for myself. Lately, it’s been in the form of knitting. I’ve made a few scarves and it’s been great fun! I’ve gifted every single one that I’ve made - maybe someday I’ll make one for me. Probably in the heat of the summer…you know, ’cause that’s how I roll! ;-)One thing I’ve really enjoyed this school year has been the ongoing discovery of each of our kids’ special niches. For our older son, it’s definitely academics. He was accepted to the National Junior Honor Society, and that qualifies him to apply for the Eighth Grade Scholars Program. That allows him to skip 8th grade and go to 9th grade next year. We use an online charter school and a group of kids qualifies for this program each year. The group is moved, together, from 7th to 9th grade, are provided with teachers for their group, and move together through 9th grade together. Our son is thrilled with this possibility and is now working better to keep his grades up. He’s also amazing at the piano. He’s been taking lessons for almost 6 years now, and loves it! His teacher has a lot to do with that - a great teacher brings out the best in students!

Our middle son loves art. He has often drawn pictures since being able to draw. With his developmental delays, some of these things came a little later. But for him, when the drawing ability hit, there was no turning back. For years he’s drawn on walls or furniture, but we’ve been able to get him to put most of his recent drawings on paper! We were approached by a clothing company - Paper Clouds Apparel - about donating some artwork. They take art made by people with special needs, put it onto t-shirts and note cards, and sell it. Then they send a portion of the proceeds to the school/charity/organization of the artist’s choice. So our middle son’s shirts will be for sale from March 4-18. Stop by their site, check out who they’re helping. You can also find them on Facebook - facebook.com/papercloudsapparel - and say hi to Robert and the gang over there! Tell them Eli’s mom sent you. You will NOT be sorry you stopped by…what a great organization!

Our daughter loves pink. Pink, pink, and sometimes purple. She’s consistent. She loves a little bit of everything - schoolwork, piano, reading, stuffed animals, toys, playing outside. She’s quite the little girly girl. She prefers to wear something pink on almost every single day. The really special thing about her, though, is that she truly does her best at everything she does - whether it’s learning, playing, or giving a hug. She’s full of love and life!

So - I’m easing back into this blog with a quick note on something I know well - my kids. It’s such a privilege to be their mom! They are teaching me so much as we travel this journey together!

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I’ll be back here soon - so keep an eye out for me, ok?